Indian Themed Meatless Night

My brother is in town and came over for dinner tonight. It's always fun having him for dinner because he's a great cook and he's always so helpful in my kitchen of chaos. When he arrived tonight I had Martha's Indian Spice Split Pea soup on the stove, a large cauliflower in hand, two recipes and no clue what I wanted to do with it. We decided to have a cauliflower cook-off. Fun!

The only rule was it had to have curry.

Both recipes were quite good and I will make them both again, but my brother was the clear winner. Here are the recipes. We served with Martha's soup, wheat toast with butter, and wine, of course. Indian themed meatless night was a hit.

Roasted Curried Cauliflower (the winner)

Inspired by Bon Appetite

one head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets

1/2 large onion, chopped

5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or minced and soaked in olive oil

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 t coriander
1 t cumin
2 t curry powder
1-2 t paprika
1 t kosher salt (plus more to taste)
1 T fresh cilantro, chopped

juice of one lime

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place cauliflower florets and onion in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, vinegar, cumin, curry, paprika and coriander. Transfer to a rimmed cookie sheet, in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast cauliflower for 10 minutes. Take out and stir. Roast for 5 more minutes. Stir in garlic. Roast for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and lime juice. Toss and serve hot or at room temperature.

Cauliflower with Curry and Garbanzo Beans

1/2 head cauliflower, chopped into large bite sized pieces

1 can garbanzo beans

2 T olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cups chicken stock

1 T curry

1 t paprika

1/4 t red chili flakes

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

1 T cilantro, minced

juice of half a lime

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and saute for a few minutes, making sure not to burn. Add cauliflower, garbanzo beans and red chili flakes and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with curry, paprika, salt and pepper. Add chicken stock. Stir and simmer for 15 minutes or until cauliflower and beans are fully cooked. Serve as a side dish or over brown rice for a main dish.

Health Benefits of Cauliflower

- best natural source of vitamin C after citrus fruits

- excellent source of fiber

- good source of folic acid and potassium

- works as an antioxidant

- improves heart health

- reduces the risk of strokes

- helps maintain a healthy cholesterol level